


Just this once... Stay.

by Jenny_Vastra



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28581834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenny_Vastra/pseuds/Jenny_Vastra
Summary: Kya would leave to travel the world, and Lin would stay behind. Stay behind to protect Republic City. Their never ending fate. Her never ending fate. Being the one left behind.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 15
Kudos: 61





	Just this once... Stay.

Lin couldn’t believe it. It had taken her so many years to accept what she felt, how she felt for Kya. Her ex’s sister. How could she have been so blind, not realising this earlier, coming to terms with her feelings? What was it that was holding her back?

Back then, she would have had thousands of opportunities to tell her. To talk to her. To confess. But she didn’t. Never even thinking about it.  
Lin had always fancied the waterbender, that she couldn’t deny. Just… When she was with Tenzin, especially as they got a little older, Lin realised she didn’t always come to stay with Tenzin, at least not as the number one reason. She also came to see Kya. The waterbender four years older than herself.  
She couldn’t possibly be interested in Lin, that was clear. She was much older and wasn’t interested in spending time with someone so much younger, and especially with Lin, who must have looked boring in her eyes, Kya always being sort of free, spending much time outside, by the water, ignoring rules, stretching them out to extremes. Lin on the other hand grew up to study, became part of the police force and helped keep order in Republic City.  
No, Kya would never even look at Lin, she thought. She was with Tenzin, after all. And then, all of the sudden, Kya left. Left to travel the world. At their goodbye, Lin just stood there, somewhat sadly gazing at Kya, not wanting her to leave.  
After that, she and Tenzin grew apart a little. Her visits had become fewer, and Lin felt more and more like she was all alone in this world. Her feelings for Kya not wanting to vanish. She just liked her, that’s what she thought. They were like sisters, Toph often visiting Aang and his kids.

And now, over 30 years later, it hit her like a rock in the face. She loved Kya. Always. And now she was standing in front of her, the same image. Kya would leave to travel the world, and Lin would stay behind. Only this time, only Lin was there to say goodbye.  
They had already celebrated earlier, but Lin didn’t feel like celebrating. It tore her heart out that Kya would leave. Would leave her.  
Tenzin, Bumi, Katara, Korra and all the others had already said goodbye to Kya back then, they were probably still celebrating. Lin insisted on accompanying her to the shore where she would leave with her boat.  
And now they were standing there, under the night sky, Kya smiling at her, ready to see some more islands. Kya would leave to travel the world, and Lin would stay behind. Stay behind to protect Republic City.  
“Looks like I’m off then…”  
Kya said to break the silence between them, and Lin’s body tensed up. Her eyes a little frightened, but also sad. Just like they were back then.  
She felt helpless. All she wanted was to stay by Kya’s side, to have her with her, to finally stand to her feelings.

From Tenzin she heard that Kya wasn’t one to go round dating boys, quite the opposite, in fact. And it only made Lin regret her cowardness back then even more.  
No, Kya was four years older. She probably found someone she loved on her journey, but some unlucky coincidence brought them apart, and that was the only reason Kya came back. Came back, took care of Katara, and never left again.  
Since Kya had left when Lin was just a teenager, they hadn’t spoken much, well, they had spoken a few times, but every single time, Lin felt this tension grip her, her insecurities overcame her, and she just fell back into her defensive, strict behaviour she used to protect her heart.  
After Tenzin had broken up with her, Lin felt wounded. She could feel physical pain, as if someone had ripped her apart and stomped on the remains of her heart. Her ever loving again? Impossible.  
Even Katara didn’t help her back then. She yelled at Tenzin, but that didn’t heal Lin’s broken heart. Inspired by the metal armour she was wearing as chief police officer, she covered her heart in metal, locked it away from the world, tried to keep it safe from any harm. She never wanted to feel this wretched ever again.

Yet now she stood there, with Kya. Exactly like it was so many years back. Their eyes met. It was quite dark, only a single lantern in the distance and the moon and stars above were shining down on them.  
Kya still had an awkward smile on her lips, waiting for any sort of response from Lin. It didn’t come. Lin stood there in silence, her hands clenched, biting her cheek. She couldn’t face Kya any longer than a few seconds. Quickly she blinked tears that wanted to force their way out away, and she let out a small huff.  
“What is it, Lin? Are you alright?”  
“You are leaving to travel the world. Again. It’s like it was back then.”  
Lin’s tone was bitter, somehow sad, judging, even. Even though she tried hard to sound happy for Kya, it wasn’t convincing enough. She couldn’t even convince herself, and Kya raised an eyebrow.  
“Exactly like back then… Yeah…”  
“Well. Not exactly the same. But goddamn, way too similar…”  
She pressed and her body tensed up even more, she was facing the ground, her hair covering part of her face.  
“Lin…”  
Kya whispered and stepped closer. She had noticed the metalbender’s hands clasping, and placed her own hand on top of them. Immediately Lin’s hands relaxed, and Kya pulled back, surprised by Lin’s quite unusual reaction.  
“I should get going…”  
She mumbled and turned around, slowly stomping in the direction of the boat.  
Lin looked up; her eyes now even wider. It was over. Kya was leaving. Lin had lost. Again. She was too weak, too afraid to tell her. And now she’d see her leave, stay behind again, sulk for 30 more years.  
“Kya-…”  
She suddenly heard herself say, shocked at the desperate tone of her voice.  
The waterbender froze and turned around slowly, tilting her head to the side, waiting for Lin to talk.  
Now she had to say something. Something that would probably be incredibly stupid, and that she would hate herself for. Hesitantly she took a step, looking down at her feet, then up at Kya who was still patiently waiting for her to finish the sentence she started.  
But Lin remained quiet. She stopped in her motions, her hands clenched again and she looked down. Hot tears wanting to stream down her cheeks, but she kept them in. At least that bit of dignity she had to keep. She could not cry in front of Kya. She wouldn’t.  
Kya would leave to travel the world, and Lin would stay behind. Stay behind to protect Republic City.  
That’s how it always was. Lin was always the one to stay, too hesitant to speak up, and Kya would leave, live her best life, and only ever turn back if family forced her to. And Lin would be waiting. Desperately waiting for Kya to be forced back by family, just to admire her from the distance, never taking action, only watching and wishing.  
“Yes, Lin?”  
She asked, the sincere smile on her face was like a dagger piercing Lin’s heart. Lin’s heart that she was trying to hard to cover in metal, to protect against every sort of harm.  
The clock in the city rang, Kya looked up at it, her eyes glanced at the clear sky, and she pointed at her boat.  
“I should get going. It’s a clear night. I should not have any troubles travelling.”  
Lin’s shoulders sunk. Her body lost all tension, her arms now hanging lifelessly, Lin faced the ground, a sad smile on her face.  
She had lost. Kya would leave to travel the world, and Lin would stay behind. Stay behind to protect Republic City. Their never ending fate. Her never ending fate. Being the one left behind.  
And why? Because Lin Beifong didn’t dare take a risk. Didn’t want to risk getting hurt, not after what Tenzin had done to her, had handled her heart so carelessly.  
“Kya, wait-!”  
She now shouted, surprised by her sudden action, as she reached out and gripped the waterbender’s wrist.  
Kya swirled around and eyed Lin, confusion written all over her face.  
“Lin-?”  
She asked, possibly as surprised as the metalbender herself.  
Lin didn’t say anything. She grasped the woman’s wrist tighter, and a quiet sob escaped her lips. It was dark, and Lin tried shielding her face from Kya.  
Somehow, the waterbender’s slim fingers still found a way to touch Lin’s cheek, and Lin froze, her body tensing up, and her hand now holding on for her dear life.  
“Lin, are you… Crying?”  
“I’m not!”  
She suddenly snapped, let go of Kya’s wrist and wiped her tears away, glared at her, and tried shielding her heart again. She wanted to open up, she really wanted to. But what if Kya tried taking advantage of her, laughed at her?  
No, Lin would not let herself get hurt any more than she already was. Even if it meant sulking for another 30 years, or possibly much longer. She’d eventually die alone.  
Because that’s who she was. What she was. Lonely. She didn’t want anyone near her, fearing they might hurt her.  
Lin had been hurt many times. By her mother, not being there when she should have been, by Suyin, both, physically and mentally, by Korra, by Tenzin, by Pema, and somehow, even by Kya. The woman standing in front of her, going off on adventures around the world.  
“Write… Me a letter…”  
Lin whispered, hoping it would ease her pain to at least hear from Kya, have words written by Kya’s wonderful fingers, with her pretty handwriting.  
A slight smile curled her lips as she thought of Kya writing a letter to her.  
Kya still seemed a little confused, but she nodded, turned around and headed to the boat waiting for her.

Kya was leaving to travel the world, and Lin stayed behind. Stayed behind to protect Republic City.  
With every step Kya took towards the boat, Lin started feeling her throat getting more and more narrow, she couldn’t breathe anymore. Only a slight, desperate sob escaped her lips, and then, without even wasting any more thoughts on what might or might not be, she ran after Kya. Grabbed her hand just as she wanted to step on the boat.  
“D-Don’t you get it!? I love you! I… I always have… Please, just… Just this once! Stay!”  
She cried, wrapped her arms around Kya, held her close as if her life depended on it. Her whole body was shaking as she whispered a second “Stay…” right next to Kya’s ear.  
Tears ran over the younger bender’s cheeks as she cuddled into Kya’s shoulder, quietly sobbing. In her head she already imagined Kya pushing her away, laughing at her, breaking what was left of her heart, taking advantage of her, just as she always feared, leaving her behind once again, but knowingly with a broken heart this time.  
How surprised Lin was when two arms were gently wrapped around her, caressed her back, one of the hands being buried in her hair eventually.  
“Finally…”  
Kya whispered and let out a slight chuckle.  
Lin blinked in confusion.  
“Finally?”  
“Do you think I didn’t notice? How you were always glancing at me from across the room?”  
“Wha-…”  
Lin wanted to let go, wanted to look Kya in the eyes, but Kya held her close, rested her head against Lin’s shoulder, and let out a long sigh.  
“I know you, Lin… You… You always want to do everything on your own… And after Tenzin, that idiot, broke your heart… I didn’t want to push you, Lin… I… I hoped you would finally come to terms with it and… And make the first step… Seeing you like this, torturing yourself, always trying to keep your distance, it was killing me… I… I thought… Either I’d push you too far, and possibly hurt you, or I’d leave, travel and hope we would both move on-… I’m sorry… I… I didn’t want to hurt you, I… I was scared to hurt you after everything you had to live through, because… I love you, Lin… I felt like that… For a long time…”  
“But you didn’t-…”  
“I didn’t come back? I… I wanted to… But you were so happy with Tenzin, I didn’t want to interfere… But… When I heard what happened to you-… What Tenzin did to you…”  
Kya held Lin close, trying to breathe calmly. She could feel Lin’s tears soak her clothes, but she didn’t mind it.  
“But you came back because Aang-…”  
“No. Well, yes, that too. But… When I heard what Tenzin did, I cancelled all my plans and got back home as far as I could… On my journey I heard that dad was-… When I came back… You were already gone… Mom told me you asked her to heal your heart, but she couldn’t… Because… a heartbreak… cannot be healed with bending, only with love…”  
Lin buried her face in Kya’s shoulder even more, her tears still not wanting to stop. When Katara had told her that, she had stormed out, decided to never let anyone near her ever again, and headed back to Republic City.  
Kya had arrived back at the South Pole just hours after Lin got back to the City, and she knew she could not have gone after her, not when her mother needed her now. In all the years Kya took care of Katara, Lin barely ever visited. It was years after Aang’s death that she showed up briefly, to catch a fugitive, and she stayed at the South Pole for one night.  
Neither of them had the courage to talk to the other, Kya not wanting to hurt Lin after what her brother did to her, and Lin still caught up in the thought that she was too young for Kya and also fearing another heartbreak.

“You’re such an idiot…”  
Kya chuckled and broke their embrace, gently resting her forehead against Lin’s, looking deep into the green eyes.  
“Yeah… Maybe I am…”  
“And now… You’re my idiot…”  
Kya whispered and leaned close, placed her lips on Lin’s and gently cupped her face during the kiss. Above them, the stars, and the moon where shining.  
Lin would stay in Republic City, to keep it safe. But Kya, Kya would not travel, she would stay with Lin, and then they would travel together.


End file.
